It Doesn't Really Matter
by Lasatazet
Summary: The beginning of the end. A lasat named Riggeth is requested by an old friend to join a mission with a couple of Rebels to save Hera Syndulla from her fate on Lothal.
1. Nar Shaddaa

Nar Shaddaa,

Haven for pretty much any kind of criminal activity. It was the perfect hiding spot for someone like Riggeth, who up until recently, was on a mission to demolish every imperial occupied bar and social ring he had come across in planets now under control of the Empire.

Whenever he committed a crime, he never took credit for it. It was extremely dangerous for someone like a Lasat to even be walking among other civilians anywhere across the galaxy. His existence itself was a crime punishable by death under the oppressive hand of the Emperor. A crime nobody seemed to care enough about.

Despite trying to keep his identity under wraps as much as he possibly could, this didn't stop him from getting irritated when his face ended up getting linked to the infamous Garazeb Orrelios of the equally infamous Ghost crew.

They didn't look alike at all, but the Empire had been desperate to smear that Zeb fellow's name across every galactic channel in order to sway the public that he was some blood-thirsty anarchist, which Riggeth was more than Zeb.

His ambitions and morals not given a moment's thought, but merely used as fodder to promote propaganda towards Lasat being primitive, dangerous animals who acted only on primal instincts. Riggeth liked the way things were before, when he hadn't become an example for his entire race. He thought by leaving his home planet, he could escape Lasan, but it only followed him, like an angry spirit trying to goad him into fighting their war.

He'd have none of that. He left to escape politics, and make a life for himself without the bonds of Lasan's strict societal standards and needs weighing heavily on his back. That was one of the few reasons Garazeb Orrelios annoyed him. His ties to their traditions, his proud wearing of Lasan's Honor Guard clothes, his Bo-rifle, his entire image reminded him of what he had tried leaving behind. Now it was in his face constantly, taking credit for his work, and paraded around Imperial channels for everyone to see. He was sick of it.

He felt an immense need to get outside of his makeshift hideout for air, but there was no clean oxygen of any sort on Nar Shaddaa. It felt the same indoors as it did out. _'Relax Riggs, just one more week in this hellhole and back to business'_ he thought to himself, peeking out from his barred off window. He could see the flashing lights and heavy smoke waft into busy sidewalks, as every kind of alien from every kind of background rubbed shoulders with each other, always looking in a hurry.

Riggeth was in a hurry too, but he knew the consequences of rushing ahead. While the solitude was suitable, he had hoped he'd get at least one job his entire stay on Nar Shaddaa, but while his skills were great, they were outmatched by the fear that accompanied his appearance. He worked stealthily, but he stuck out more than the neck of a Kaminoan. Even so, it should be less of an excuse on Nar Shaddaa, considering the diverse population occupying it. His tendency to remain obscure would surely be the death of him. He just couldn't decide if he was better off starving to death or being shot in the chest by some imperial lackey.

He heard the ground creak from behind his door. He tried not to immediately reach for his blaster, but past experience made his reflexes act against his will. He turned to face the door, staring at the blank, rusted steel in silence, before saying, "come in." Buttons were pressed, and within seconds, the door slid open revealing a Kubaz standing idly by the door frame. The red tint of her goggles flashed in the darkness. She reached out her hand to him, and started to point out the door, telling him he needed to leave through the nasally squeaking of her tongue. Riggeth had only been able to understand her in Galactic Standard but even then it wasn't always clear.

"I thought you said I had two weeks?" Riggeth asked, refusing to budge.

The Kubaz had been responsible for housing many criminals for the right amount of credits, and Riggeth still didn't know her name, though it didn't matter. He'd never see her again if he could help it. Being stuck on Nar Shaddaa may have been comforting for just about any sleazy criminal, all except him. He was just as restricted as anywhere else, and he hated to take a break on his personal vendetta against the Empire. Surely Saw Gerrera would have enough credits to spare to hire him again. He didn't like to come begging for work, or doing work for free, but with Saw it was always an adventure, and there was plenty to be done. If he could change anything, he'd stop himself from leaving when Saw could not afford for him to stay.

The Kubaz woman shook her fists in frustration, speaking erratically for him to get out. The Empire had decided to pay a visit and search for him, and they weren't far away either.

"Just my luck." Riggeth sighed. He was a fool to think the Empire would simply give up on their mission to kill all Lasat. He had just thought-

No, it didn't matter. There wasn't time to mull it over. He needed an escape plan.

"What do you suppose I do for a ride out of here?"

The Kubaz muttered something of a "not my problem" which she quickly realized wasn't the right response, feeling the ground beneath her disappear as she was lifted several feet in the air.

"Come again?" Riggeth growled.

The woman sputtered and tried to explain, saying he only paid her for a room to stay, but Riggeth wasn't heading out blind.

"You can do better than that. You must know of someone who transports _certain_ cargo in and out of here." Riggeth pressed, giving her cowl a good shake to jumpstart her memory.

Even with a mask on, she looked hesitant to answer, but she told him she knew a Rodian who traded spice to and from Nar Shaddaa, who had been rumored to smuggle a few criminals before. The trip wasn't a short one though, Riggeth would have to put himself in more danger trying to find him within the heart of Nar Shaddaa, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He didn't think to worry about the Rodian complying with his request. One way or another, Riggeth always found a way to get what he wanted.

"Thank you, darling." Riggeth grinned unsettlingly wide, and kissed the sides of the Kubaz's mask. Like a loth-bat out of hell, she lashed out and struggled in his grip as the Lasat placed her down and side-stepped towards the door. He grabbed his face mask and sniper rifle, taking his leave with a nod of his head and the same wide smile on his face. She had told him of the escape route the first night he stayed, and he had timed himself going towards the exit. It was less than a 30 second escape if he was running, which he was, but just before he pushed open the doors, he forced himself to casually walk outside in an attempt not to bring too much attention to himself.

The Kubaz was right, the Empire was on the move. He could tell by the way many the people in the streets started to scatter and whisper to each other. He would rather not stay to see how close they really were to him, so he used the opportunity of the bustling crowd to get his way back to the main city.

His plan seemed to work until he heard the chilling static of a Stormtrooper's com sputtering in his ear. He didn't dare a side glance, instead he quickened his pace a bit. He folded his long ears tightly across his head, and moved towards a rather scraggily looking Talz, who measured a relatively equal scale to him, only a couple inches short. Hopefully it would be enough to make him invisible in the crowd.

Riggeth outfit covered a lot of his stripes with dark clothing, a stark contrast to Garazeb Orrelios who had no qualms with hiding his identity from the Empire. It was easier for him, he had a ship that took him just about anywhere. Riggeth was a loner, mostly, keeping to himself and taking up transports. He was in sore need of his own ship.

He had one before, an Old Republic beauty. He thought back in regret to leaving the old girl behind when one of his hiding places was scouted out, this time not by Stormtroopers, but by some good-for-nothing gang of thieves who thought they could trust the Empire with serving them credits for his capture. They were wrong on both accounts. One, that the Empire was good on their word, and two, that they'd get out alive. Of course, a few managed to escape, and to his sorry luck, another pack of thieves was waiting by his ship. If he had anything of value in his ship it would be his weaponry, but he always kept his favorite things by his side.

Knowing that trying to take back his ship in the wide open would be foolish, he had gone to find a new way of going off-world, and he had been hopping rides ever since.

In his hurried motion, he accidently kicked his knee straight into the tiny chest of an Aleena. They squawked loudly, which grabbed just about everyone's attention. He didn't stop, he knew even if he checked to see if they were alright, he'd catch their eyes. He used that time to turn a corner and find his way out through a maze of alleyways, where the smoke got thicker, and the smells got funnier. It touched every one of Riggeth's senses in all the wrong ways. The Stormtrooper's helmets would probably aid them in finding him, but he had little choice.

Picking up his pace, he bolted straight ahead, feet splashing in water puddles, and frightening wild creatures back into their hiding places. These wild creatures were abundant where he stayed, and were often made into a meal for him. It wasn't ideal, but his body could digest just about anything raw, so he abused that power to its limit, and street rats were only bottom of the barrel to what he'd eaten. He hadn't had the wherewithal to care for a long time.

His long ears picked up the sound of synth-leather boots walking cautiously down one of the alleyways ahead, and his feet acted fast, halting to an abrupt stop. However, he failed to realize how wet the ground was, and he fell to his side, sliding down a couple feet ahead. Just before he could collect himself, he saw the white armor of a Stormtrooper peering through the fog.

The emotionless mask turned and spotted the Lasat on the ground, nearly frozen in place. It may have taken the man half a second to realize what he was before he could think of how to respond. "Hey!" The man shouted, and Riggeth's hand launched outward like a lightning bolt. It whipped around to the holster on his hip, and before the Stormtrooper could lift his weapon to aim, his chest blew open with a laser blast searing through it. In mere seconds, the man fell to the ground, and Riggeth was back on his feet once again.

He sidetracked backwards in case any reinforcements were close by, and then he was struck with an idea. He could use any one of these building walls to climb his way to the top. He would be at a clear advantage against the ground troopers, but there was a possibility they might have brought aerial support with them. Even if that was true, he decided to climb up one of the buildings anyway. His sharp claws and prehensile feet were perfect for climbing, even when it came to man-made steel walls. With ease, he had made it all the way to the top without being spotted, his feet moving just out of sight of a flashlight glaring through the fog. Crouching down, he remained silent, checking for any signs of escape. There wasn't any way inside the building from the roof, so he wasn't in the clear yet. He still had to make it to the landing ports, or otherwise meet his maker.

After he was confident that danger had passed, he braved a look over the horizon of bright lights, a giant dome welcoming an array of landing ships. He would have to be especially stealthy while navigating through the platforms, and he had no idea if this Rodian fellow even existed. It was worth a shot. Riggeth had gotten himself out of worse, there was no reason this escape would be any different from the rest. He calculated the jump from the next rooftop. It was something a human couldn't achieve, but a Lasat could. He wasn't as spry as he used to be, but he still had a spring in his step, perfect for a long jump, even if he was sore later on. Taking a few steps back, he leapt to the next rooftop without making much of a sound, then rolling over on his landing.

He let out a sharp gasp he had held in tightly, smiling to himself. "Should have stretched." He muttered, than forced himself back on his feet to do it again. With the agile, albeit aged, grace of a Tooka, Riggeth managed to pass by both security and Imperial scouts, with even the wandering civilians and spectators unaware of his presence. He still got it after all these years. He wandered if Zeb could do what he could, if the Honor Guard had prepared him with this kind of stealth. They weren't exactly known for their furtiveness.

The feeling of a hot blaster bolt singeing the side of his ear tore him from his thoughts, and he kicked up his legs for one last leap to get away from the enemy trooper following him. His jump was too sporadic, and he was foot short from the other side. He quickly reached his hands out, and clawed the edge of the other building, hoisting himself up before he could be noticed. Distant shouts informed him multiple Stormtroopers were on his tail, and he needed to take cover again. He doubted he'd make it to the landing platform before the troopers found him. The best course of action for his survival would be to lay low until the heat of the hunt died down. It had been a while since the Empire searched for him so vigorously.

Peering his head down the building, he noticed a broken window into a dark room. Without a second thought, he swung himself inside without so much as a hair brushing against the edges of the bare window. His landing was soft, the floor was carpet. Scanning the room, it seemed uninhabited. There wasn't much furniture, the lights were off, and the smells had faded. He stood up taller once he felt a little more confident nobody was inside the small apartment, but shirked his body towards the shadowy corners of the room once he heard the voice of a man on an intercom, his garbled speech sending pricks of nervous excitement through Riggeth's spine.

What he wouldn't give to swoop down and kill the trooper now, but again, it was best not to risk it. Perhaps when the circumstances were not as dire. Oh how he hoped for that day to come soon. His claws tingled at the thought.

Crouching down in silence with only the sound of wind leaking into the room, it gave him time to think of a plan. It wasn't a horribly original plan, sneaking out back and disguising himself as an old beggar until he got to the nearest, most unguarded hangar bay. Once he managed that, he'd need to think of a guess as to where he'd meet his ride at. All else fails, he could just hide onboard an unsuspecting transport. His luck with how those started and ended varied.

He wasn't left alone with his thoughts for long, for he got an unexpected call on his personal com. It hadn't buzzed for a whole month. He almost thought about not answering it. It could be Orarsa with another detailed description of his demise, and yet, he couldn't risk Saw calling him and him not answering. Before he could decide on what to do, his thumb pressed the com button automatically for him.

"…Yes?" Riggeth groaned softly at his trigger-happy thumb.

"Riggs?"

Riggeth's ears shot up. He knew that war-torn, tremulous voice anywhere. It was Saw Gerrera.

"It is. Saw, that you? It's been too long." Riggeth answered in a hushed whisper, mindful that a Stormtrooper could be just outside.

Saw seemed to have picked up on it, and got to the point.

"The _Ghost Whisper_ is in trouble. I promised her family that I'd help out where I could."

"This where I come in?" Riggeth asked. He didn't normally go on rescue missions. Just sabotage. Though, in his eyes, they ended up as some kind of rescue. Anytime the result was the Empire being damaged, it was rescue enough for the civilians of those planets.

"You are the best I know, and if anybody could take on the Empire's "secret" agent, it would be you. Oh, and before you say anything, yes, I will pay you." He could practically hear Saw rolling his eyes.

"Credits sounds good- wait, are we talking ISB?" Riggeth twitched an ear.

"No, it's one of the Grand Admiral's personal best. Don't tell me you'll back out now." Saw grimaced. He clearly hadn't thought of a plan B.

"Nah, no, just- I guess it doesn't matter. I reckon you want to give me the rest of the information on your ship?"

"Be more secure that way. Will you be able to get a ride?"

"Well, that remains to be seen. Think you can give me a ride yourself?"

There was a long pause. Riggeth figured it was just Saw trying to fit him in to his busy Empire-destroying schedule.

"Tell me where you are, and I'll get you." His voice came back again, a wave of relief crossed Riggeth's face.

Well, it looked like he wouldn't know if that Rodian smuggler was real or not. He'd get to have a good, old friend pick him up instead. Maybe this time, he'd be able to take down a few Imperials on the way to the pick-up.

"Nar Shaddaa..."


	2. Yavin 4

Riggeth didn't get much sleep that night. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but detect the faint sound of voices in the air. He couldn't be for sure that the Stormtroopers had left to let his guard down, but he had eventually passed out on the floor for a couple hours before his comlink buzzed to life. Without thinking, he pulled the little device towards his face and responded in a dreary voice, "Ya here?"

"You better hope I'm not." The voice on the other end of the comlink replied.

"Kriff….you-" He sat up with a jolt, grimacing at the ache in his body for laying on the floor for so long.

"You think I'd let you off that easy?" The angry voice continued.

"Orarsa…eh, listen. Can't we talk about this?" Riggeth asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His other hand grabbed for the blaster on his hip, looking around as if she was going to bust through the door and shoot him where he sat.

"We're past that now, and if I were you, I'd start packing before I find you and kick your-"

"Listen, I'm sorry about setting you up! It wasn't nice of me. I'll find a way to make it up to ya, I promise." Riggeth tried to reason with her, but he knew his efforts would prove useless. Orarsa wasn't the kind of woman who gave second chances to just anyone, and she had every right to be heaping mad at him. He couldn't cool down the fire in her heart that he set there. The fact that they were the same species wouldn't save him at this point.

"You are one selfish womp rat, you know? After seeing what I do for a living, and pulling that stunt!"

"Hey, I know you aren't spending every waking moment trying to find me, why bother sending these messages anyway? You're only helping to warn me before you find me."

"Well I think you'll take it has a steady reminder that we have unfinished business."

His com began to beep with an incoming message over Orarsa's voice. Riggeth sighed in relief. "Regrettably, I'll have to talk to you later." Before she could retort, he shut her up before answering the other message with as much gladness as one could be to evade uncomfortable chats. "Hello?"

"I'm near the coordinates, better be there soon. I'm seeing more imperial activity than normal, and you know how long these pick-up missions take when I start getting ideas-"The familiar voice of his old friend Saw started.

"They are here courtesy of me, thank you very much, and I'll be there in a sec." Riggeth answered with an eager smile before silencing his comlink. Picking up his mask a couple feet away, where he had kicked it absent-mindedly in his sleep, he slung his rifle across his shoulders and hid his blaster rifle on his belt. He looked out the window, and poked his head out when he couldn't see head or toe of that shiny white armor that had chased him all night. The only thing he did see was an elderly Nautolan feeding a small Tooka, completely unaware of him. Carefully, he crawled up the building from the window, and started to trace Saw's communications to his location.

Saw was a couple paces north from where he was, but one thing that immediately caught his eye was the heavy fog, which may be a problem when trying to navigate when the enemy could be anywhere. He'd stick the roofs for now, though the fog may underestimate how big he needed to make his leaps. However, he had a pretty good guess. It was better to overshot than to undershot, in this case at least. He'd have to stop thinking too long about it before Saw eventually made his presence known, which, while he would love to send a goodbye gift to the Empire, he'd rather get started on his new mission right away. "The Ghost Whisperer is in trouble." Riggeth knew exactly who he was talking about. The great pilot, Hera Syndulla.

He saw some of her high-flying action himself, and he was very impressed. It was no wonder she survived so long when she seemed to be in a fire fight with the Empire every so cycle. Of course, he took that information from Imperial controlled channels and rumors among the rebellion. He never actually met the woman. He pictured her as a free spirit, probably flying and working with mechanics for as long as she was able to. Capturing her, a symbol of the rebel's strength, would certainly be a blow to any mural among the Rebellion. Freeing her would be a pretty big priority and send the right kind of message to the Empire, which raised the question why Saw needed his help when there were others obviously more qualified and able to who allied more closely with the Ghost.

Riggeth jumped off the edge of the roof, landing on top of a steeper roof, which leveled out to the next, bigger building, which he climbed up with ease. The lights of the open cantinas began to light up the fog, and he could finally catch the glimpse of moving ships in the air. Before he knew it, in the corner of his eye, he saw the sight of a U-wing hovering off the ground among the other unlicensed ships that managed to slip by freely. By the way it looked prepared to take off, it seemed it already gardened enough unwanted attention for it to fly off at any moment. He reached for his comlink. "Look to the tall building with the light-up sign beside it, south of you."

"Lots of lights, can't make out your shape," replied Saw.

Riggeth groaned and took a closer look at the large advertisement with dismay. "I really don't want to say it."

"For Gods sake Riggeth, just say it." Saw breathed heavily, sounding like he was running off nothing but half his rations, again.

Riggeth swallowed his pride for five agonizing seconds. "For the satisfying experience of sexy swingers call xxx-"

Saw's laugh erupted from the comlink, a static shriek from the boisterous noise pounded into his ear painfully. "Yes! Haha, very funny, now come get me!" Riggeth growled, his dark fur hiding a ridiculously bright blush.

The U-wing lifted up higher into the air, leaving a trail in the fog, wafting behind it. It opened about five seconds before approaching him, Riggeth ready to jump as soon as it was a foot away from the building platform. He was used to jumping in on the run long enough it was almost second nature, and something he looked forward to whenever seeing the rusted steel of Saw's U-wing approach from the distance. The thought about his ship reminded him of the one he lost. He wondered if the Rebellion could offer a spare for his service, or as compensation for saving Hera Syndulla from certain death, which he wasn't sure as to why he felt so confident about the mission now than before.

Saw greeted him with an open smile, which was a sign that he still wasn't over the advertised slogan. Riggeth's lop-sided, unamused frown only made him laugh more. The moment he got on board, he realized Saw hadn't been the only one laughing. There was an unpleasant garbling chuckle accompanying him. Edrio…

"Two-tubes? You here too, ya freak of nature?" Riggeth greeted the pale alien from inside the cockpit, grabbing his hand in a firm handshake. They had met only a couple of times, but even sharing moments in one battlefield could build a comradery faster than a pleasant conversation at the finest cantina in the galaxy. _"Remember to give me that number, okay Riggs?"_ Edrio replied in his native language, Riggeth managing to catch the unique quip of a Tognath tease on his tongue.

"Blast you." Riggeth huffed, albeit feeling better now that he was safe inside the U-wing and Edrio's sub-partial flying that was still better than any Imperial pilot he's seen fly a tie fighter. Saw patted his shoulder roughly with a course and heavy hand. A smaller rebel may have complained about the kind of aggressive affection Saw gave to his friends, but it was just the kind Riggeth could take. It was very similar to a Lasat's strength, though of course, he wasn't that strong. He could flip Saw over on his back, even on a bad day. Saw used to say his Lasat strength was the reason the Empire hunted his kind down. That they were afraid of the kind of power they possessed, with the obsessive need to control it until there was nothing left to control. It was one of the better conversations they had during a time where he felt like he wanted to bury himself in a hole to die.

"How was Nar Shaddaa? Have fun?" Saw asked once he got into the co-pilot seat as they started to fly off. Riggeth waited to hear the incoming pelting of blaster bullets on the underbelly of the ship, but they didn't come. "Um, alright I guess? I didn't do much but stay in a dark room." He replied, feeling his heart lift to see the stars of the galaxy zoom past the ship's windshield once Edrio put the ship in hyperspace. He let himself lean against their seats in a relaxed pose, lingering over the ship controls, that if Edrio wanted to and stop the ship abruptly, would send him flying forward and crashing into the dashboard. Riggeth couldn't yet decide if given the opportunity that Edrio would do that or not. He liked the mystery of it more.

"That's not the kind of experience I was hoping to hear…" Saw said, sounding a bit disappointed. Riggeth may have set up his expectations too high in the past. He had some pretty good and gruesome stories that could turn anyone's appetite. He was threatened not to speak while eating with the rest of Saw's Partisans. It was harder to relate to their queasiness more often after having been so desensitized to his own stories. It seemed like only Saw could actually enjoy what he had to say without coiling in on himself due to discomfort.

"Well, I don't know what you were expecting, me being an escaped convict and all." Riggeth replied, scraping the tips of two of his claws together. They had gotten blunt lately. He'd have to sharpen them soon.

 _"Sexy swingers."_ Edrio snorted. The fool couldn't help it. Riggeth also couldn't help the rough slap he gave the alien's perked shoulder. It didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. Saw chuckled with him, Riggeth once again being subjected to their teasing. He'd have to let it slide for now, seeing as they were going to be busy with their next mission soon.

"Anyway, we going to talk about the Ghost or what?" He asked bluntly.

Saw ceased his chuckle and swallowed. "Right, well I'll lay it on thick. Someone on Yavin 4 contacted us about needing our help retrieving Hera Syndulla from capture. They asked if I had any mercenaries willing to do the job, so I naturally thought of you."

 _'The hell?'_ Riggeth thought. "Seems like an odd request for just any rebel schmuck to ask. What's the deal? This got something to do with the fact the blue guy has a secret agent now?" He asked skeptically.

"Whatever it is, I can only help so much, plus they weren't so grateful about our last meeting either. I think if you give them a hand, might prove them wrong about us." Saw said.

"What will you be doing?" Riggeth asked.

"Edrio and I got a mission of our own, I'll fill you in on the details later. So, I'll be able to drop you off on Yavin, but I may not be able to get you out for a while."

"I've been in riskier situations. Any new toys you got?" Riggeth felt his heart jitter in excitement at the thought of new weapons in his claws. He hadn't been able to clean his own in a while, so the look of polished steel hit a special kind of nerve.

"You've got the best of the best on your back Riggs." Saw said, moving from his seat to walk into the hangar bay. "However, I do have some explosives if you're interested…" with that, he opened up a conspicuous looking chest with the insides of four, very dangerous-looking bombs whose design Riggeth couldn't figure out.

"Dear Gods, where did you find these?" Riggeth asked, peering into the box, not daring to trail a claw across the bodies unless they spontaneously explode.

"Met some folks allied with the Empire, found out what they were selling." Saw said, crossing his arms, recalling the memory of putting the stop to another evil that would have devastated another part of the Rebellion.

"Well I would ask you to compliment them on their design, but by that look on your face I'd say they are already dead." Riggeth smiled at himself for saying such a clever line when he felt Saw's hand turn him around to meet him. "Here's the triggering mechanism, I shouldn't have to tell you to be careful." He said unexpectedly stern, handing him a small device, so small that he found it nearly impossible to accidentally trigger it. Luckily, it came with a small protective covering over the button for just those kinds of mistakes. He hid it in one of his pockets on his belt, beside his mask, for safe keeping.

"These things must pack a punch if it's got you acting like this to me." Riggeth stated, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden change of attitude. He only got this way in very dire situations. He must have seen the kind of damage the bombs could do. He wondered if he should feel honored or not that Saw gave them to him on this mission.

"Just don't want one of my friends blowing themselves up into oblivion." Saw replied, he smile looking borderline apprehensive.

"Don't need to worry about me." Riggeth gruffly assured him, delicately patting his side and closing the seal to the chest. "You wouldn't happen to have those little anti-gravity clasps so I wouldn't have to lug this around would ya?" He said, feeling around the box. This would be one heavy load to carry, even for him. Even harder to hide without the Empire noticing, if he was going to end up using it. "I got your back." Saw said, turning away to retrieve what he had asked.

"What if you can't get me out in time?" Riggeth asked.

"Oh, well that shouldn't be a problem. Our Yavin fellow is going to help get you in and out of there." Saw replied, returning the clasps. Riggeth twitched an ear. "Huh…you sure made it seem like I was going to be out on my own." He helped put the even amount of clasps on either side so that the chest was evenly elevated.

"Well you always liked to work alone!" Saw laughed.

He guessed Saw was right. He was always at his best when there wasn't anybody to bother him, which is why being a mercenary was so ideal for him. He didn't mind playing in their war as long as he wasn't going to be those loyal soldier types on the front lines, ready to die for their leader. Only Saw and his Partisans could understand that, being that some if not most of them were mercenaries too. Saw broke him out of his thoughts with a bag full of credits. "Pay first, as always."

Riggeth caught the look on Saw's face that he hoped it would be enough. On anyone else, no, but he had been hurting for work for some time now, and remembering how much he missed the Partisans, he wasn't going to be a pain in the ass this time around.

"You know me too well. Better watch your back." Riggeth joked, grabbed for the bag of credits and feeling the weight in his hands. He might get a dozen normal meals out of it, if he isn't immediately kicked out at first. Saw looked satisfied and patted his shoulder again, returning to his seat beside Edrio.

"Pack it in, we're heading to Yavin 4." Saw called back to him while Riggeth was still admiring his credits. They made such a pleasing noise against his claws. He often did this to pass the time, when he had just finished with a client. Back then, he looked much fuller. His build was thicker, more threatening. Now, he was a skinny hermit who only lived by the wit of his blaster. Not exactly pretty to look at, but nobody paid him because he looked nice.

Thinking about payment reminded him of what brought him there in the first place. Someone on Yavin 4, with the big dogs, requested a mercenary from none other than Saw Gerrera. It was no secret Saw, and the bigger part of the Rebellion, had disagreements. It was mostly because the Rebellion was run by political figures. Politics couldn't help anyone, and it certainly didn't drag the Empire down. The fact they were trying to control the people fighting back boiled his blood in an instance. So, with that in mind, it was interesting that somebody around people like them would rather go to Saw instead of to the other Rebels closer to home. What kind of funny business was being played here?

"Hey, Saw…" Riggeth approached the cockpit, balancing his weight on both the front seats with his hands. "Did whoever call you guys say who they were, or why they didn't ask anyone else to help?"

Saw seemed amused at the question. "Well, I'm hoping you might be able to figure that out, and tell us about it later." He thrummed his fingers together on his lap.

"You know something I don't?" Riggeth asked.

Saw shook his head. "I just find it…comical that Mon Mothma's rebels would come to us for help when in the end, they see our methods as…unbefitting and…well, not in the spirit of the Rebellion." Riggeth could sense the irritation behind the words overcome by satisfaction of having been asked for help by the very rebels that have put them down for years. It was hard to see things equal amongst other people with the same goals. Being fair and balanced, and "better" than the imperials was a nice sentiment, but it didn't change the fact that they were losing the war, and nobody was taking their side, only when it was too late.

"That is pretty funny." Riggeth replied with a smirk, a fang slipping out.

 _"We're here."_ Edrio mumbled as they came out of hyperspace, and the beautiful, green moon came into view. Riggeth had never been there before, but it certainly looked unsuspecting for a rebel hideout. Edrio flew them down to a specific spot that caught Riggeth's attention. "Why here?" He asked, looking for any base around the large and quiet trees and wildlife.

"I don't think…most of the Rebellion knows we are here…" Saw trailed off, seeing an old friend beside a tree, easily spotted with his white and war-ridden armor. "Well look at that, it's Rex. Of course it is!" He smiled gladly, hopping off his seat. Riggeth slowly, and cautiously followed him, while Edrio stayed seated.

When Riggeth stepped out of the ship, Saw was already embracing Rex with an uncharacteristically amount of enthusiasm. It was almost like that incident on Geonosis hadn't affected him at all. "I knew it had to be you, but that voice certainly wasn't! How did you pull off that kind of smooth, Coruscanti accent?"

They pulled apart and Rex's eyes shifted from the ground, then quickly back up at Saw. "I was tempted to ask you for your aid, but I may not have done it if it hadn't been for someone else. They actually wanted your contact, thought even if you couldn't help, you'd know somebody who would." He had scratched the back of his head. From the stories Saw told him, Riggeth didn't expect for the clone to give off such an uncomfortable vibe.

"You saying I have a fan within your ranks?" Saw asked with a grin.

"That's a first." Riggeth teased, finally calling the attention of Rex, who blinked at him in visible surprise.

"Ah, this is Riggs, a mercenary I hired from way back. He won't disappoint you." Saw said, beckoning Riggeth to come closer. Rex quickly examined him before reaching for his hand as not to appear unnerved. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rex." Riggeth accepted the friendly gesture before pulling back to cross his arms. "Hey Rex."

"You never said you knew a Lasat." Rex turned to look at Saw.

"Yes, well when you're on a mission, thoughts sort of take significance over others." Saw replied hastily, which took Rex off guard.

"Well, Riggs, I'd like you to meet Captain Kallus from-"Rex motioned to an invisible figure that didn't appear to be there. He looked around, confused. Saw and Riggeth were confused as well. What kind of game was being played here that the person who wanted them here the most would vanish? Riggeth didn't even catch the sight of the person when they landed.

"They shy much?" Riggeth asked as Rex looked further into the bushes. He didn't get an answer, except for Rex huffing and going down a small incline, where they lost sight of him. Riggeth and Saw shared a glance, but neither of them moved to see what the heck was going on. Rex soon came back with another man in toe, who looked exactly like someone who had already retired from the war but came back because his superiors annoyed him enough to do it.

The man wouldn't meet his eyes. It may had been because, like Rex, he didn't want to cast judgement, but it felt different somehow. The man seemed like he didn't notice he was even there at all. Riggeth may had been happy not to be ogled at, but he also didn't like getting no reaction at all. He was a kriffing Lasat! He needed to get to the bottom of this sooner or later.

"Captain Kallus huh? Get lost?" Saw asked, reaching his hand out. The blonde smiled and shook his hand. He had an interestingly stiff posture for a rebel, but this may had been due to some military history in the rebellion, which was less and less fancied over when they began to lose more and more men and women in the fight.

"Dropped my weapon, but I'm here now." He replied calmly.

"Your weapon?" Saw asked, incredulously. "Do all rebel officers carry tiny, handheld stunners?" He began to laugh, hitting Riggeth in the side, making him chuckle. "Oh man, Mon Mothma has you all played for a fool!" He pointed to the pathetic weapon on Kallus' hip. Rex couldn't help a tiny grin.

"The only thing he's allowed to carry around here." Rex chuckled.

"We'll have to change that if he's going to help Riggs out." Saw replied.

Riggeth raised an eye ridge slightly at Kallus who looked nervous, like Rex had said something that he shouldn't have. Could it be that lingering loyalty to Mon Mothma that made him uncomfortable? Riggeth was about to question him before Saw abruptly cleared his throat. "Alright, we shouldn't waste any more time. I've got a date, and you've got a General to save. Good luck, and take it easy on them Riggs." Saw gave his farewell, Rex nodded and waved him off, leaving Riggeth alone with the old clone and the weird man.

Silence stretched between the three as the sound of the U-wing lifting off became fainter and fainter. Neither looked prepared to say anything, though they figured somebody should. Riggeth didn't do socializing very well, or even bringing up conversation with anyone new, but he decided to save everyone the pain by breaking the ice in the least subtle way possible.

"I like your beard."

"Oh…thanks." Kallus replied, hesitantly reaching a finger to scratch the side of his chin.

"So, Riggs…what's your experience in the Rebellion?" Rex asked, slowly stepping away, hinting that he wanted to talk and walk at the same time. Riggeth followed along with him, and Kallus took this as an opportunity to walk further ahead of them, leaving a several foot difference between them. He caught onto it right away but didn't say anything. Perhaps he was just xenophobic, and nothing more.

"Eh, it's actually Riggeth…and I mostly did special missions to handle groups of imperials concealing secret weaponry or terrorizing specific places. On the side, I take on different targets on imperial officials."

Rex's eyes widen with interest. "How did those usually go?"

"I never missed a shot, if that's what you're asking. What about Kallus huh? What's his experience?"

Rex leaned away, chuckling to himself. "Heh, he used to be ISB, now he's giving us information on tactical missions. Haven't done much ground fighting since he defected."

Riggeth's ear twitched, but his casual smile stayed put, undeterred. Ah, an imperial defect…it made perfect sense. The posture, the averting glance…he should have known. He didn't like imperials, probably more than the next guy, but there was something about defects that was especially irritating to him. It's like an imperial he couldn't touch because he'd get in trouble with his allies for it. Ever so rarely did he meet a defect that didn't hold on to those little imperial tendencies that made them avoid aliens like him. What didn't make sense was that this defect actually asked for his help-well, rather, just help from any mercenary, but it was still odd.

"That so? What made you turn?" This time, Riggeth was addressing Kallus directly. He could tell the man was paying attention to him because his shoulders' tensed, and he slowed his pace. Rex didn't seem to notice the weird energy between them, or he may have and wasn't saying anything. Either way, he didn't try to speak for Kallus this time.

"Well, I started to notice that things were not as the Empire made them seem." Kallus replied simply, without looking back. Riggeth huffed before quickly catching up to him and slinking over to his side, catching the man off guard. Rex quickly jogged over, looking a little annoyed to have to keep up with the two.

"How long did it take ya to notice that?" Riggeth asked, staring at him, close enough to notice the freckles on Kallus' skin.

"Er, well…I was so disillusioned before, I never noticed until…" Kallus trailed off. After apause of silence later, Rex finished for him, figuring it had to do with the man's pride rather than just having the Lasat leering over his side. "Until our pal Zeb broke his leg and made him see it." Rex smiled, nudging Kallus jokingly, but it looked like it just pained him to hear it.

 _Zeb._

He knew that name. So, he was pal of both of theirs? If that's so, why is Kallus so cautious around him?

"Heh, Zeb sounds like good company." Riggeth smiled, getting the feeling that Zeb was exactly who he thought he was. Rex looked eager to say something, like he was about to a drop a huge surprise on him. "He's a Lasat."

Riggeth humored the man, perking his ears up and smiling widely. "You're kidding! Really?"

Rex nodded, but Kallus carried on forward like he hadn't been a part of their conversation. The more he noticed the man try to step away or avoid him completely as if he wasn't there, the more he wanted to push him further. Before he could bother him again, Kallus finally looked back and said, "We won't have much time smuggling him on to the Ghost if Mon Mothma is looking for us."

Rex seemed to agree as Riggeth suddenly was behind the two of them. He much preferred it this way, so that he could observe Kallus more without looking like he was staring. There was definitely something strange about the man, but while he figured most of it was because he had been ISB, a title that Riggeth had familiarity for many times in the past, there was also something off that he couldn't quite place...yet.


	3. Weapons Diagnostics

**To all those that have informed me about my document having troubles, I thank you. I honestly would not have noticed until much later on. I was mortified and relieved.**

 **I'm glad people are already interested, and are liking the story so far. I'd rather not answer any predictions, as I believe very soon in future chapters, they will be answered, without me telling you so.**

 **And as for the picture I used for the story's cover: Yes, that is my artwork. You can find more of my artwork (mostly Lasat) on my Tumblr: moonstarturtle . tumblr. com**

 ** _Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy Chapter 3!_**

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"What's in the crate?" asked Rex as Riggeth brought in a fairly big chest with anti-gravity clasps added on to them. He had absentmindedly forgot the damn thing, too distracted by the Clone and ex-ISB agent. It wasn't like him to forget such a catastrophic-looking weapon. Perhaps Kallus wasn't the only one acting strange that day. Lucky for him, Saw wasn't off his game, and had left the crate there before he left. It was easy to look over with the green overgrowth hiding it in plain sight.

"Nothing special, just something that may or may not come in handy later." Riggeth smiled. Rex decided not to ask, having a pretty good idea what he meant. Kallus spared a glance at the two of them, but did not say a word.

They walked in silence for about an hour, but eventually got around to the secret base. It was a lot closer than Riggeth thought, being hidden by the trees, which was even more impressive for a Rebel fleet hideout. In fact, he had never seen a base so quiet. They set up shop in one of the old temples positioned there, an ideal place to hide a couple military ships and powerful leaders. He couldn't deny, it was perfect. He took a long, calculative look at some of the ships parked across the open-field, circling around the temples, looking ready and prepped for the next mission. He took a particular liking to the Y-wings. He had imagined, on more than one occasion, getting his hands on one of them for himself, but of course, it wouldn't offer him the kind of space to eat, sleep and relax. Not to mention, his height involved. So, pass on the Y-wings.

What he found interesting was that, despite having so few people running about outside, they didn't stare or gawk at him. By the looks of things, they'd probably seen weirder than Lasat, or perhaps, they had mistaken him for Zeb?

He suddenly took sight of a large ship, one that could fit more than a dozen people. Its size and shape were unmistakable. It was the Ghost, in all its glory, except for its missing rider. He was already thinking of ways he could convince Rex and Kallus to try taking it for a good spin before Rex even introduced the ship to him. "This is the Ghost, finest ship in the galaxy, and it's the only thing that's going to make sure we don't get killed when we land on Lothal." Rex announced. Kallus hurried onboard, probably trying to evade the eyes of any curious rebels.

"The Rebellion sure is gonna miss this." Riggeth said, admiring the look of the ship as he got closer, trailing a claw across the exterior, taking his time before approaching the inside of the hangar bay. "Exactly, so we have to move before they can apprehend us." Kallus said, quickly taking his seat beside Rex in the cockpit, which had a lot more space than the U-wing. Riggeth felt he could actually stretch his legs on this ship. He let the crate he was carrying go, setting it to rest by some other crates inside, before joining Rex and Kallus in the cockpit.

"Hiding missions from your own, admirable Senator? Would this be considered treason?" Riggeth snorted, taking a seat behind Kallus. Rex shrugged him off. "Mon Mothma isn't in charge of everything. Besides, The Ghost crew comes first if you ask me. They're the only reason we made it this far." He spoke with such confidence that it was hard to argue with the man, but it was best not to try anyway. Kallus looked at Rex in agreement before Rex started to bring the Ghost to life, lifting her up in the air. A few seconds after, the ship began to receive a message, which was promptly ignored until they were out of the moon's atmosphere.

"I suppose you guys have a story to cover yourselves?" Riggeth implied.

"Nah. It won't take someone like Mon Mothma to figure out why we're gone." Rex replied with a smirk. Riggeth couldn't help but feel respect for the old Clone. Here he thought Saw had just been building the man up to compensate for the warped ideology in the Rebellion that he was a part of, but it turned out he was wrong to assume things. Rex would have made a good Partisan. Kallus numbered in the coordinates for wherever they were heading, and that's when Rex put the ship in hyperdrive. The ship began to lurch forward before zooming past the stars in a blue haze. It was his least favorite part about hyperspace, the feeling he got before it made a jump. It made his stomach turn, not an easy thing for him to feel anymore.

"We are looking at a two hour ride, so don't sit too tight, boys." Rex said, his arms slacking a bit on the control panel. Kallus turned away in his seat to distract himself with the panel readings for possible incoming signatures, trying to make himself look busy. However, the truth of the matter was, he was terrified of the alien behind him. In two hours, anything could happen. It took less time for the Lasat to obliterate his patrol, and leave him alive. He wandered how much his face had changed since then. "Riggeth" didn't look like he remembered him, and if he was standing next to any other Lasat, Kallus might not have been sure who it was in his memory that committed the act. His vision was blurred, there was fire and smoke everywhere. He could only make out long, flowing braids of hair and a chip in the right ear. Riggeth had several bites and marks on his body since then, but Kallus could tell it was him. Not to mention Saw didn't have a surplus of Lasat mercenaries he worked with. Kallus decided he would give Riggeth no reason to believe the man he spared was him, as not to jeopardize the mission or his life.

'Why did you even ask for his help to begin with, you idiot,' the voice of his old imperial-self mocked. It was true, he had taken a risk. If he had wanted, he could have taken some money from the Rebels' personal savings and used it to pay another rebel sympathizer who probably didn't have any bad history with him. However, there was something inside of him that told him to go to Saw for help. Mon Mothma and some of the Ghost crew already picked up on his disdain for the man, mainly rooted in personal experience and imperial-fed garbage, but it was true of what he said. Saw had no qualms whatsoever in doing what he thought was the best for the Rebellion, and that included dirty tactics even the scummiest imperials practiced. It was a hard thought to swallow. Even when he became a turncoat, he never felt so conflicted in his life. His loyalty to the Empire, his unwillingness to believe it had all been bad from the start, that he had been a complete fool all this time, was not an easy thing to admit, and it still wasn't. Even knowing the truth, there was still that part of him that was not completely Rebel. It felt even worse, like a tumor in his gut, when he decided the best course of action to save Hera Syndulla was to get Saw's help. They were out of options, and Mon Mothma wasn't going to help. He refused to let Zeb and the rest of the Ghost crew die on Lothal, not after everything they did for the galaxy, and him. It was a good thing that Rex had near the exact same idea.

Kallus remembered Rex pulling him aside after he recorded a message to Saw about one of his mercenaries, questioning the odd, and specific request. If only Rex had known the truth, that the only person that could help them kill imperials and escape through fiery explosions was a Lasat he met years ago, when he was on the receiving end of one of his attacks. It may had been a long-shot at the time. It was possible the Lasat died years ago, or refused to work with anyone besides Saw, but it was barely a few hours later that Saw contacted him again to say that he got Riggeth to help, with little to no convincing.

Rex was doubtful at first, and having the experienced war veteran doubt him made Kallus worry. Rex was born and raised for battle. He learned war tactics, and earned experience, way more than Kallus had as an ISB agent. Not to mention, the old man defeated three AT-ATs' with just a small, uglified walker, and half the Ghost crew. He shuddered. That event had been an embarrassing disappointment to his rather spotless career as an imperial. Nevertheless, when Saw had shown up with Riggeth, he saw a look on the man's face that didn't read any kind of worrisome behavior. He may have even looked excited. Kallus really hoped he was doing something right, and that it wouldn't be too late for Hera, or Zeb, or anyone else left on Lothal. Riggeth would become his new plan to distract the Empire, and possibly turn their luck around.

'Don't you think you putting too much faith into somebody who simply kicked your ass 18 years ago?' came another disembodied voice. However, this voice sounded much more like Zeb than his old self. The voice gave him a lot more comfort, strangely enough. The way Kallus used to talk and words he used to say, sounded more like those of some inner demon that would come out every so often and try to torture him. He had been able to suppress it with Mon Mothma's meaningless jobs and the Ghost crew's company, but now he was left with the mechanisms of his own mind, with only a Clone, and a Lasat with a past. At least Rex had been a valuable member of the Ghost Crew, and got along with Kallus a little more than when they didn't. Kallus felt a good amount of safety with the man, and he already sensed that Rex earned the Lasat's respect, with how well he got along with Saw.

"What kind of planet is Lothal?" Riggeth asked. He had a feeling he should have asked sooner, but honestly, it was the last question on his mind. Locations rarely ever mattered to him. Having faced the worst in backwater planets to the most pristine casinos in the galaxy. However, it certainly mattered in regards to how well they could move around, especially if they were going to a more popular, rich planet. Riggeth didn't do well in those kinds of places, but he still got his jobs done. It usually cost double the pay.

"It's a quiet, little planet. One of our members, Ezra Bridger, grew up there." Rex informed. Kallus kept quiet.

"That's a bit too convenient to be coincidence. This guy get sentimental over the place?" Riggeth asked.

"Naturally. The Empire has been taking over the place little by little, and the settlement there is massive. It was Ezra's idea to try and save it, but regrettably, only a few could make the trip, under Mon Mothma's command." Rex sighed.

"And, without extra support, they are stuck there. Right?" Riggeth asked.

Rex nodded. "The entire fleet that Hera took with her were wiped out, including Hera's ship. We had received a short transmission from the others and the last of the Rebels who were stationed there. Don't know how they managed that, but they've gotten through worse."

"I'm not sure they have…" Kallus muttered to himself, but they all could hear him.

Rex frowned. "No matter, with us involved, we can get Hera back, and get the rest of the Rebels out of there."

"So, no helping Lothal then?" Riggeth said in a weirdly accusatory tone of voice that he didn't mean to come off that way. Rex didn't seem to be wounded by it, and answered with a response that closed off that topic for good.

"There are lots of planets that need help, and Lothal is one of them. However, I won't lose them over impossible odds. I thought they had a chance, but now they just need to get out of there." Rex sounded frustrated near the end. He had been good at hiding it, but he seemed just as worried as Kallus was. It was true. The Ghost crew always managed to escape when the situation seemed dire, but with Thrawn in command, the imperials dominating every facet of Lothal, and several losses already, it was time to think realistically, which is exactly where Kallus could be of assistance.

"Got ya." Riggeth clicked his tongue, looking back to the crate Saw left him. He wondered how big of an explosion it could produce. He'd love to test it out on the imperial occupation on Lothal. They may very well be able to escape and destroy the empire's presence there in one fell swoop. Of course, that's if the explosion was damaging enough. He hoped it was.

"Kallus, run a quick diagnostics test on the weapons system, and see if anything needs repairing or refueling before we reach Lothal." Rex said. The tiny interference of soft space debris reminded him of the dangers of going in without properly checking everything was in order. He didn't sense Kallus move, so he turned to see him staring at him, as if he was trying to find an excuse. "Go on." Rex grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away. "You should learn to do some dirty work around here for a change."

Riggeth watched Kallus move out of the cockpit, and just as Kallus feared, followed right after him a minute later.

At that moment, Kallus wished that Chopper had stayed behind to protect him. Despite his size and annoyance, the little droid was feisty and protective. It would certainly keep Riggeth's knees at bay. Kallus quickly reached the weapon's diagnostic exam panel just right of the top gunner, wanting to get it done as fast as possible. He tried not to notice a pair of large footsteps closing in on him.

"Rex mentioned that, uh, Zeb broke your leg. Was it as simple as he made it sound?" Riggeth asked, knowing the answer, but willing to ask to help gouge more information out of Kallus. The man seemed to know the trick too well, for he answered without little hesitation.

"There is nothing much to that story."

Riggeth could tell that Kallus wasn't willing to give him any satisfying answers, so he continued to see if any of his bait could catch the man by the lip.

"ISB agent huh? You know, I'm actually really familiar with people like you?"

'People like you' he said. Kallus picked up on that quickly. He was implying that Kallus hadn't changed at all. He didn't know why he could be so bothered by a few simple words. He had heard worse from petty criminals, but he couldn't help but repeat the sentence in his head.

"I'm sure you were." Kallus said, looking like he was the most concentrated person in the galaxy, staring as the percentage bar of progress slowly began to fill up. It was at 60% now, way too long a wait for this conversation to be over.

"I wonder if we ever knew eachother. No, that's stupid. I'm sure you would have remembered me, right?" Riggeth faked a smile, but Kallus dared not look. Instead, he continued to look at the diagnostic progress, determined not to tear eye contact.

"Yeah." Kallus replied.

Riggeth's ear twitched, and his teeth clicked at the same time. Kallus could tell he was getting frustrated with so little response, but if he let any of his questions get to him, he would be the one in trouble.

"Probably not." Riggeth pulled a gun from his holster and began to examine it. "I mean, I knew Zeb from holograms, but even though we are the last of our kind, we still have never met. I don't think he knows I even exist."

Kallus's focus faltered, his shoulders slacking a bit. He was right. The Lasat next to him, and the Lasat on Lothal, were the only ones left to roam free, and Kallus had a part in that. He almost felt guilty for being afraid of him. How could even think about fearing Riggeth could hurt him when he'd done twice the damage, or more, in his time as an imperial? Riggeth caught on to Kallus's change in posture, looking at him from the corner of his eye.

"He might know you." Kallus said, but it came out as a whisper.

Riggeth shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see, huh? You'll introduce me to him, won't you?" He winked at Kallus.

Kallus finally looked at him clearly, in the eyes. He managed not to flinch as Riggeth put his gun back in its holster, and reach his hand over to pat him on the shoulder. "That's good mate." He replied, sliding away from him and taking Kallus's seat back in the cockpit space with Rex, who didn't comment on it. Kallus looked back to see that the diagnosis was at 68%, and heaved a sigh.


	4. Costly Mistake?

**This chapter took one day to complete to be completely honest, not including the editing. I put it off for two weeks, then some more afterwards. Before, I made it my mission to complete it before the series finale started, but I think that mission is botched, but I'll try not to let that discourage myself from continuing to update. Just letting you know, haven't forgotten the story, or my loyal readers. Oh, and just so you know, I appreciate your reviews a lot, and I'm reading them when I can.**

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Kallus was still waiting near the gunner when he finally finished up with his diagnostic. He may have only talked to Riggeth for a minute or two, but it had nearly felt like an hour with all the pained silence between each sentence. He may had even spouted silver hairs from the experience. Years of imperial conditioning had kept him from revealing how uncomfortable he had been to be put in that situation, but that couldn't stop his heart from pounding.

He had always imagined that one day, he'd meet Riggeth again. He could never have thought that it'd be because he needed his help. Now here he was, feeling the chill of his blood throughout his body. It almost felt like he was there again, watching helplessly, as Riggeth destroyed his first unit, and came walking up towards him…

This trip felt like it couldn't be going any slower, even when Kallus knew Rex was going as fast as he could. He remembered missions like these as an imperial requiring all kinds of heavily calculated moves. Now as a Rebel, that calm and calculated feeling towards missions needing patience and heavy thought was crushed by the image of the small crew of the ghost parishing, as star destroyers on every side of them started to rain laser fire on them. As an imperial, loss was different. After his unit, he had never got as close to others, save for a few, and those people he ended up putting down himself. He knew what it felt like to be terrified for his life, but the life for his new friends made him react differently. The old Kallus wouldn't have thought about asking Riggeth for help, but the new Kallus would, because he found people that were important enough for him to make that call. That fear for the lives of people who became important to him was a new- no, it was an old feeling. A very old feeling from before. A wound that was ripped open once again, but this time, he could actually make a difference.

Kallus resigned himself in the chair behind Rex, and the man wasted no time in filling him on the conversation that he and Riggeth were having while Kallus was away. "There is not much we can do for distractions, so we are going to pass through the imperial bombardment in hyperspace." He informed, in the same tone he'd give in any kind of mission. Kallus' eyes shot up as he gripped his seat.

"What? That won't be safe at all! We'll all be killed!" He exclaimed in alarm. Hyperspace was no joke. Anything could go wrong, and in a second, a ship could be blown apart if one was not careful. There were rules and regulations kept to make sure the worst couldn't happen, and the Empire was very strict about it. Playing around in hyperspace was a sure way of getting oneself obliterated into tiny specs of dust.

"You think I made it this far by playing it safe?" Rex answered gruffly, in a more immediate, aggressive tone than Kallus was more accustomed to than not from the man.

Kallus meekly leaned back in his seat, a million and one thoughts racing through his head. They certainly wouldn't be much of any help to their friends if they crashed the Ghost on Lothal. He stopped himself before another quick outburst could escape from his mouth. He had to trust Rex with this. He had the plan, he knew what to do. Kallus just needed to follow it through for him, for their friends. For Zeb.

"We'll be able to pass them without them noticing right away. If I can manage to get away from their detection, I could land the Ghost in a safe place, and we can plan this out together with the transmitter box I have. I don't know how close or far we'll be to Kanan and the others, but if I'm detected, I need you two to get on the ground while I distract them, got it?" Rex's voice boomed in the cockpit, and he demanded nothing but a clear answer with no obligations. However, this is where Kallus and Rex clashed…

"Wouldn't it be better if I stayed with the ship?" Kallus asked, not looking forward to doing a duo mission with Riggeth. He had no idea how to work with him, or if he could work with him. There was just too many ways this could go wrong, that Kallus couldn't think clearly. The long stretch of silence after his suggestion was killing him. Riggeth's eyes stung him with an unreadable expression, not of disappointment, but something close to shame.

Before, Rex teased him about who was to command Hera's ship, but now, there was nothing to tease about. It was a different kind of mood, no room for opposition, so he shut up until Rex decided to talk again.

"I'll stay with the ship whenever necessary, but we need you, Kallus, to step it up. Use that head of yours for fighting this battle instead of giving out information. I know you can do it."

That was strangely encouraging for the ex-Agent to hear, but the feeling was overshadowed by the idea of what he'd be facing alone with Riggeth, if he were to be alone. There were too many possibilities to think about, with too many outcomes. He'd been pretty good at deciphering the kinds of acts he'd position himself into before, when he was an imperial. Now, it felt like going in without a clue. This was the very first time he'd lead a battle by himself for the Rebellion, without the disguise of being ISB to protect him. Rex's encouragement was all he had. He'd do everything he could to prove Rex right.

The blaring sounds of a warning began to echo through the ship as they got closer to Lothal. Rex adjusted their movement, to avoid hitting any enemy ships as they zipped past them in light speed. Kallus held his breath as Rex, with a strange level of calmness, ignored the many different warnings that Kallus found hard to ignore, as they got their way past the blockade. For a second, things seemed to freeze in time. Riggeth barely made a move, and Kallus' teeth were grounded down so tightly, it felt like his jaw could snap from the pressure. Rex was the only one who was in control now. A single moment too late and they'd be dead.

Rex pushed them out of hyperspace in a matter of a millisecond, their bodies jerked violently forward as the Ghost managed to stop just in time before it collided into Lothal's sandy grasslands. Rex's movements were lightning quick, as he reeled the ship back before it could ground it's features into the dirt. They may have made it through hyperspace, but they weren't in the clear yet.

Without a breath or moment wasted, Rex guided the Ghost to the closest form of cover possible. His eyes were on the tall, rounded rocks that speckled across the earth. A small sweat gland slid down his forehead as he let his tense muscles relax it's grip from the steering wheel. Even he had his doubts, but he was around the right people long enough to know some risks were worth taking. It was about the most insane idea he ever executed, and had had enough excitement for one day to never try it again.

"I...can't believe you…" Kallus felt nearly at a loss of words. There was nothing he'd ever read or heard of, of someone taking that risk and SURVIVING it. Rex was about the first one to ever pull something like that off. He was right next to Hera's idea of blasting through an imperial construction module, and making it out without a scratch. If after this moment, Kallus' life was forever in Rex's hands, he wouldn't feel as worried anymore. Riggeth smiled widely in complete and utter joy. Saw had pulled some crazy stunts in his life, but he never landed that close to a planet through hyperspace before. He didn't even feel like barfing! It was at this moment that Riggeth decided that taking this mission was the best decision in his life.

"Rex, you're a legend!" Riggeth barked with laughter, slamming his hand down on Rex's still very tense shoulder.

Just when they thought they were in the clear, a tie-fighter and two ground storm troopers, far from their patrol route, saw the whole thing. The tie immediately began to follow them, guns at the ready and firing rapidly.

Rex silently cursed as he tried to out maneuver the tie, but with little cover on land to shield themselves, it was almost impossible. "Looks like it's Plan B. Riggeth, get your things, Kallus, take the transmitter box! You'll need it to contact the others! Now get ready!"

It was the part Kallus had been dreading. He was just starting to be able to enjoy a scenario of Rex joining them on the ground, but those hopes fell apart in a matter of seconds. He grabbed the makeshift box from Rex's side and joined Riggeth down near the landing platform. Riggeth steered his crate in front of him, and was ready to spring out the doors when they opened, until his ears perked at a new idea.

"At this pace, I don't think Rex will be able to shake him." He grabbed Kallus' attention. He was almost hesitant to answer.

"Doesn't seem like it will be a smooth drop-off." Kallus replied.

Riggeth took a step away from the crate and motioned Kallus forward. The man simply stared at him, not budging.

"Come on, get on the crate, we'll be able to glide out without hurting ourselves." Riggeth explained, waving his arm out.

Kallus blinked at him. He wasn't expecting the Lasat to give him such a suggestion. It was actually a pretty good idea. Riggeth could have kept that thought to himself and let Kallus tumble out of a moving starship, risking a broken bone in the process. Maybe that conversation from before was just him making something out of nothing. Riggeth was not some monster he made him out to be in his head. Maybe they'd work great together after all.

Kallus moved to the front of the crate and got on top of it. It was enough room for two to sit, perfect for Riggeth's plan. After a few more swerves and quick turns, the ship began to move smoothly as Rex's voice shouted from the intercom.

"I'm opening the lift! You only have a few seconds!"

Rex had slowed down, too slow for the Tie-fighter to have stopped itself. It zoomed passed him, prepared to turn around, but by then, he'd drop his friends to the ground without it noticing. As the lift opened, cutting through the grass below, Riggeth had a running start before pushing them out of the ship and leaping onto the crate. The anti-gravity claps were so strong, that even with the combined weight of the two ontop, it didn't hit the ground. Instead, it bounced with enough force to jump forward. Kallus' iron grip saved him from flying forward onto the ground, and having the crate run him over. However, the same could not be said for the transmitter box, which crashed into pieces as it fell from Kallus' arms. The man watched it happen in slow motion, grimacing as he saw several pieces spring up and across the grasslands. The crate had such momentum, that Riggeth couldn't stop it until it began to slow down. He hadn't said a word about the broken communications box to Kallus, which he was thankful for. He was calling himself every curse word under the sun in his head, as it were.

"Don't bother with it now, we need cover!" Riggeth shouted, more concerned with getting the crate out of range of any enemy blasters. It was their one ticket out of Lothal when things were to get more difficult. It would certainly be enough for Rex to get them out of there when they needed to, but then again, they'd need to get their communications back online. A second later, as they were running towards two, huge rock formations, the sound of a tie-fighter crashing down echoed close by. Rex had managed to shoot the pesky thing down.

The victory was short lived as the tie-fighter, and presumably, the two ground troopers, called for more reinforcements, and they had arrived. Riggeth and Kallus watched helplessly as Rex was swarmed by more tie-fighters, and forced to leave them with no chance of coming back anytime soon. Riggeth pushed the crate out of harm's way, and hoped that the empire wouldn't try to pull a large sweep of the grasslands and discover them.

"That box was the only thing we had to contact the others, and now it's broken! Rex gave me one simple task, and I couldn't even do that! He shouldn't have put that much faith in me." Kallus growled in anguish. He didn't mean for that last sentence to come out, but it did, and Riggeth heard it loud and clear.

"It could be worse. You could switch sides right now and give away our position." Riggeth shrugged as he pushed the crate between both rock formations, in perfect cover over the casting shadows and long grass. He even piled up some dirt over it to conceal it better. Kallus' arms slacked to either side of him, unamused by Riggeth's sarcasm.

"This is serious, I need to get it back with all the pieces." Kallus said, looking back to where they left it.

"Not worth risking the mission for." Riggeth said, simply.

"It's the only thing that will help us find the others!" Kallus argued, but Riggeth paid him no mind.

"We'll need to keep moving. Rex landed us quite a bit a ways from what i'm guessing is a city. We already caught the attention of a few imperials, so we can't be too far off. Maybe some occupation held somewhere close by? Either way, we can go there tonight, and we can use their communication system to our own advantage, okay?" Riggeth said. There were barely a few minutes on land, and it seemed like Riggeth was in complete control of the mission now.

Still, Kallus found it hard to believe that breaking into an imperial occupied area was somehow easier than repairing a broken transmitter box just a few paces away. He wasn't about to argue again. He was sure whatever solution he came up with, Riggeth would shrug it off, and he'd have to do it on his own. Besides, he hadn't the tools to repair it, and he wasn't much of a mechanic. So, he'd go with Riggeth's plan for now.

Despite this being the one situation Kallus dreaded the entire trip, being alone with Riggeth in a secluded area, he was surprised that Riggeth didn't even attempt to strike conversation as they waited for the excitement of the fire fight to die down. Kallus stood in the middle of the clearing, the center of the rock cluster, while Riggeth leaned against one of the rocks, twitching an ear whenever the faintest noise could be heard. Kallus thought back to Rex, hoping he made it out, maybe even got rid of the tie-fighters that were chasing him. He didn't want to disappoint the man by wasting their one chance at victory because he hadn't held on tight enough. He thought he ruined that chance back with the transmitter box, if not with the help of Riggeth's quick observational skills. In a time like this, it was hard to tell if Kallus would have made that same assessment, but he had been so far off his game, he couldn't even decide that for himself, though he liked to think he would have.

He noticed Riggeth's ears perk and turn his head. Who knew the smallest motion could make him feel so much unease? The Lasat moved like a feral animal, moving slowly as if he was hunting. Kallus didn't feel like moving and disrupting his motion, so he stayed still, wondering what had caught the hunter's eye.

The two ground troopers from before were exploring the area that the Ghost mysteriously had slowed down around. They had a suspicion as to why the infamous ship would come here, after Hera Syndulla had been captured. Riggeth noticed them rifling through the remains of the transmitter box. He tensed when he saw one of the troopers motion a hand to the commlink on their arm, and acted quickly. He pulled the blaster rifle from behind his shoulder and shot the trooper through the head in one clean shot. The other trooper watched in shock as the body of his comrade fell over motionless. His following movements were clumsy, acting like a sitting duck, giving Riggeth enough time to shoot him through the chest. A few seconds of life left, and he was gone. Neither had been able to act quick enough, or even ask for help.

Riggeth lowered his weapon with a smile, but it quickly faded as he realized they would catch more attention if the bodies were to lay there. He went back to Kallus and tilted his head. The silent gesture was clear enough for Kallus, as he followed him through the rock forms' clearing, in view of the freshly killed bodies of two stormtroopers. The image brought back a memory he had tried suppressing for many years. There was a hint of irony, helping the Lasat he sought revenge after, help kill more stormtroopers. He forced himself not to think too much about the fact.

Riggeth and Kallus pulled the bodies away, and hid them inside their hideout, along with the broken bits of the transmitter box, providing Kallus with enough proof that it was broken beyond his control. Even the buttons and knobs were ruined. He'd have to pay Rex back with a better one later.

Kallus avoided looking at the piled bodies shoved clumsily away from view. He wandered how long until they were discovered? If it was anything like with what his time after Bahryn was like, they'd likely be left alone for days, maybe weeks. It was a depressing thought, but he couldn't let that risk his friends' survival. He tensed at the screaming of a lone tie fighter going past them, but it didn't seem to notice their position. Riggeth shared a look with him. It had given the Lasat enough leeway into setting up their next conversation, even when Kallus quickly averted his eyes.

"What is the Ghost crew like?" He asked, stepping closer to him and leaning beside him. Kallus tried his best not to look like he minded how close he was, but even years of training could not keep him from keeping his eyes focused anywhere else besides Riggeth's intense yellow gaze.

"Everything you'd want a rebellion to be...minus some immaturity…" Kallus spoke honestly, speaking mostly of Ezra. Despite the flaws, they worked really well as a team, in a dynamic he was very unfamiliar with. He had often wondered before how any of them could possibly win a battle, but it was the heart of the "family" that kept them going. The Empire was cold, but the Rebellion was warm. If they had a chance against this war, why shouldn't they win? He had wished he had tried better for them, understood them, before they left.

"Immaturity huh? By who? Wait, let me guess….little blue-haired brat right?" Riggeth asked.

Kallus didn't think it'd take more than just Ezra's photo to prove he was a bit of child nuisance. At Least, that's what he believed when he first met the boy. Some of him was still there now, but now he had shown some development overtime, if not a little.

"You'd be right...he still has a lot to learn." Kallus sighed, thinking about a few of Ezra's naive statements when some of the Rebellion's most important figures were gathered to discuss battle tactics and rescue missions. He hoped now that he'd get to hear more of Ezra's "naive" talk very soon. He'd never make fun of the crew again if they made it out alive, that's for sure.

Riggeth chuckled.

"He sounds like a good character. What about that colorful mando girl, or that pony-tail guy?" Riggeth asked, hoping to get more out of Kallus. He felt very ill-equipped to tell him about the others. He didn't know them well enough. They didn't really see him as a close friend either. Rex was closer, and could tell more stories about them. He tried his best anyway, to give them justice.

"She's Sabine Wren, one of the most threatening mandalorians you'd ever meet, and then there is Kanan Jarrus. He's Ezra's teacher. They're both Jedi." Kallus expected a bigger reaction out of Riggeth, but it seemed like he heard a couple stories, perhaps even about the Ghost crew. He simply nodded his head with a knowing smile.

"I knew that. Saw told me all about the little get-together he had with them. Quite the group I must say."

Kallus eyed him strangely. Why had Riggeth acted like he didn't know any of them, when he had known enough from Saw that Ezra and Kanan were Jedi? He was sure Saw wouldn't skip over those kinds of details to Riggeth, but again, he didn't know either of them that well to assume anything.

"Anyway, I was trying to set you up to talking about Zeb. Tell me about him, what's he like?" Riggeth asked, ears perked forward with visible interest. His looming figure was overwhelming to Kallus, and he had to take a step back, as if he couldn't think clearly being that close to him.

"He's brave, uh, strong. He's always ready for a fight, rarely second-guessing." Kallus began listing anything that came to mind about Zeb. It was all true of course. He was a powerful ally and opponent. He was sure he'd have thought of those attributes before when he was an imperial. Riggeth nodded slowly, then looked up to the sky, then back at Kallus.

"Did he tell ya where he's from? Where he came to be at all?"

It was a strange question, but Kallus answered anyway.

"It was Lasan...he was a guardsman there I believe."

Riggeth took a step back from Kallus and nodded, as if he was confirming to himself an internal question he had.

"That's cool." He placed his hands on his hips and turned his back on Kallus, working towards hiding the crate again, adding more dirt and making it invisible to passerbys.

Kallus, in an unexpected moment of courage, decided to ask Riggeth his own personal question.

"Did you come from Lasan?"

His question was met with silence, and Riggeth had paused before turning to Kallus with a amusing look on his face. Kallus read him as intrigued by the question, and maybe at him even asking a question at all. He didn't know if the next words to come out of his mouth were to be the lie, or the truth.

Riggeth spared him his teasing, and answered him clearly. "Yes I was. Then I moved off world by some trader's ship, and began selling my skills to anyone that would pay for me to use them." He emphasized his last sentence by pulling his gun from behind his back and gripping it in front of Kallus with a show of force.

Kallus swallowed. He only continued to ask another question when he was completely sure Riggeth wouldn't outright shoot him where he was standing..

"Who were you on Lasan?"

This question, Riggeth found a bit more difficult to answer.


	5. The Imperial Outpost

**I had plans on completing this before the Finale, but life isn't always like that.**

 **Obviously this story will take a different turn from canon, so what happened in the Finale will likely not happen in this story, but I'll be honest, there may be a little influence. So, whether you loved or hated it, prepare for change. Also, thanks for all your reviews and sticking around with the story! It's getting good folks. I'm finally getting to the parts I'm excited about.**

* * *

Riggeth chuckled a bit awkwardly, his hand reaching for his weapon, grasping at the barrel before releasing it and having his hand fall to his side. It didn't take an ISB agent to realize that he was buying time to answer. Whatever it was, the lasat found it difficult to say, at least to Kallus. He took quick note of that, which Riggeth probably noticed, and sighed before turning away, his back facing Kallus.

"I was….how you say...a lost soul." He answered, purposefully avoiding a direct answer.

It was time for Kallus to be impatient. "How do you mean?"

Riggeth turned around, having legitimate trouble trying to explain himself, which only made him more suspicious in Kallus's eyes. It had the man slowly start to assume the worst of him. In truth, Kallus did have some reference level as to what Riggeth had been up to in the past, but not that far back.

"You see...Zeb and I didn't run in the same circles...if you catch my drift." Riggeth used his hands to draw two invisible circles in front of him to illustrate his point, hoping that Kallus had caught on to what he was really saying, or if he really was as oblivious as any other stormtrooper in the Empire.

He wasn't ISB for nothing, and Kallus had shown that just by the way he looked at him. He had dealt with a lot of common criminals before in his time, and usually they came in plenty of variety, so to speak. He imagined that he had interrogated someone like Riggeth before, though not to this extent. Kallus used to have held all the cards before, but now, he wasn't sure if he had any cards to speak of.

"Meaning, Zeb was on the side of the law...and you were..?" Kallus left Riggeth space to fill in. The Lasat begrudgingly confided in him.

" _Not_ on the law side." Riggeth replied with a sheepish grin. It was an unsettlingly ordinary kind of expression for Kallus to experience from him. He felt his shoulders slacken, and a smirk formed across his face.

"Well surely this wouldn't matter to Zeb seeing is that you are both guilty in the eyes of the Empire." Kallus said matter-of-factly. He too was a criminal, as well as every other rebel in the galaxy. However, it was a different matter for Lasats. They were criminals by appearance alone. It was one thing he was hoping to change when he became Fulcrum, if not a main reason.

"I wouldn't say that. Guardsman are kind of uptight. He might not like me much." Riggeth said, scratching the ground as he passed by Kallus. The sky had gotten darker, and the heat was off them for now. They would be moving out soon to get to the imperial outpost, but Kallus wasn't keen on stopping their conversation just when it got started.

"I believe you already know that he's the one that made me switch sides in the first place. Sure, he wasn't gracious about it, but it wasn't any less than what I deserved." Kallus stated. He heard Riggeth chuckle softly at that, and he cooled his temper.

"It's not what you think." Riggeth said, scratching three claw marks against the rocks, probably as a marker for where they've been, in Kallus's assumptions.

"Then what?" Kallus asked. The air went quiet for a while, and Riggeth rested a hand across the rocks, looking over into the distance. He wasn't even sure the Lasat heard him, until he answered a moment later.

"It will be dark soon, let's head out." His arm pushed his weight ahead, and he lead the way through the tall grass, ears laid low as if he was in the midst between walking and stalking. Despite Kallus's annoyance for not getting anymore clear answers out of him, he was sure that the truth would come to light soon enough, whatever it was that Riggeth was keeping to himself.

* * *

Zeb spotted a small crowd huddling around where the radio was. At first, he thought it might have been from rebel base, but Hera had already made it clear before that Mon Mothma would be of no help once they landed. He grit his teeth a little, thinking about Hera and how if they only had the means of more troopers willing to fight, they might have had a better chance. He'd never have doubted his family for a second, his experiences with them were telling enough, but he couldn't help but feel a small bit of disdain for the rest of the rebellion turning a blind eye to them after sacrificing so much back.

For now, he'd assume Hera was safe. She may be in the hands of the enemy, but he took strange comfort in knowing the Empire would use her as bait instead of simply killing her off. They were predictable like that, especially when they were keen on squishing the remaining rebel cells.

He approached the group of rebels, his ears listening in closely, picking up the scratchy transmissions of an imperial fighter, calling in coordinates to base about an unexpected attack from the Ghost itself! Orders were being made to scour the skies and grasslands of Lothal in search of the runaway craft. Zeb almost couldn't believe it. He didn't know whether Rex and Kallus were stupid or brave. Hera did leave her ship with them after all, and if they planned a rescue mission at the expense of her precious ship, they may be in more trouble with her than the Empire.

Zeb, however, felt elated at the news. They truly weren't forgotten by the rest of the rebellion. Rex and Kallus still had their backs! He quickly turned and ran down one of the tunnels that traveled through their new place of operations, searching for the others to inform them that the Ghost was attempting to help in their mission!

* * *

The closer Riggeth and Kallus got to the imperial outpost, the more time Kallus had to doubt their plan. The odds of their success may even be less than the odds of being discovered when he became a rebel informant. It would just be the two of them, on a base crawling with stormtroopers. When the platform and bright light poles came into view, Riggeth began to lower himself to the ground. Kallus bent his knees to mimic Riggeth's movement. He found his own stalking ability to be lacking. He was not equipped with the kind of natural mobility of of his Lasat counterpart, and by the end of it, he was crawling on all fours to avoid detection in the tall grass.

It wasn't his proudest moment.

They managed to get behind a steely barrier around the outpost, and peeked behind it to see what they were up against. Kallus took note of the rotation of the officers on duty, while Riggeth stared straight at their target. The control panel. It was small, with only three people operating it at a time. If they didn't want to make a scene, they could just wait around the building, then force their way in when there were minimal eyes to see them. The only thing they'd need to look out for was the troops inside making a commotion, but that was the exciting part for Riggeth...the act of surprise.

"Got your comlink?" Riggeth whispered. Kallus looked at him oddly.

"Yes?" He answered.

"Great. Turn it on and toss it in the fields, it'll cause some interference." Riggeth offered his hand to grab for his comlink.

Kallus hesitated. It was his only way of contact with Rex, and he didn't even know where the man was now. He didn't want to miss any of the man's future attempts of communication, but then he began to think that Rex would not risk something like that on a mission. He slowly reached in his pocket and retrieved the comlink.

"Come on, we don't have all night." Riggeth hurried him, and Kallus placed the comlink in his clawed hands. He pulled out just in time before Riggeth's fingers clenched around the comlink, tossing the thing far off in the distance, where it caught the eye of one of the wandering scouts on patrol. Riggeth lead the way to the control building, sneaking around the shadows, his movements making absolutely no sound.

Kallus realized the Lasat was not sloppy. He was well experienced, and crafty. Despite his trigger-happy demeanor, Riggeth was well adapted to the silent-stalking of a midnight predator. He was subconsciously studying the Lasat's every move, and his way of attack. Kallus wouldn't have come up with the idea of a comlink as a distraction. He probably would have waited patiently to move at each troop's rotation, and maybe even disguise himself as one of them. It was probably one of many tricks Riggeth had up his sleeve. Thoughts like those only pulled at Kallus's curiosity.

Riggeth and Kallus took to opposite sides of the Panel walls, Riggeth taking out the remaining trooper outside the threshold, and Kallus using that time to step in through the automatic door and stun the three men inside before they could even register what had happened. Riggeth crept inside with the body of the stormtrooper he had just dispatched, and looked among the unconscious forms that Kallus managed to deal with himself. Riggeth stared at the bodies, caught them slowly breathing, then pulled out his blaster.

"I stunned them already!" Kallus shouted in surprise, his arm reaching out to push away Riggeth's gun. The motion had happened before he had been able to process it, but quickly retracted. Riggeth glared at him with a steely expression.

"I see that. So, do you want them to wake up from their nap later, and report back to their base? Or do you actually want to make sure we see your friends alive?" Riggeth growled. Kallus took a step back. He never acted like that before, not even when Riggeth fired at those two scouts, or when Rex shot down a tie fighter. For so many years, he had been able to separate himself from his troops because if he got attached like last time...

He didn't know why this felt different, but seeing the imperials already unconscious, who had likely done mundane work like patrolling, and staring at a blue screen all day….it seemed like unnecessary casualties. He's the last person that should make that kind of judgement, but how different was this from-

" **BAM! BAM! BAM!"**

Riggeth's blaster sounded off three times. Kallus flinched at each shot, looking away. He felt yellow eyes on him. Riggeth hadn't even looked at his targets to make sure he shot them. When Kallus saw for himself, they were all dead with a single, stinging bolt. That moment, he almost forgot they were on a mission, as Riggeth adjusted the control panel to help get a transmission through to the rebellion without getting detected.

Kallus could smell the burnt flesh and smoke from the troopers' bodies, something he had been able to ignore before, but now, made him slightly nauseous.

"You know the channel. Find it." Riggeth stepped aside and placed Kallus down in a seat. He moved robotically, entering in the number for the communication frequency the rebellion intrusted on to him. Riggeth watched his fingers observantly as Kallus managed to get through to the transmission, and signal for the rebels.

He leaned into the mic, and sent his message.

"This is Kallus, to the rebels of Lothal. I've come to assist. Please transmit your location so we may find you."

Kallus leaned away, waiting patiently for a reply. He hoped it had gotten through, that someone on base had caught it. He couldn't shake the creeping sense of dread that the message had been noticed by the Empire, and now they were in for an ambush to demolish the outpost before they could make their escape. However, those feelings always held some _real_ weight. They were always in danger of being caught, or killed. It was a necessary risk. He had done his fair share of those before. He just hoped, and that's all he could do.

Riggeth rested one of his hands on the chair, listening to the soft static of the communications line. It brought forth a flashback of memories, where he was sitting in his room on Nar Shaddaa, biding his time, and checking Saw's comlink channel. He had gone off air for quite some time. A month to be exact. It was like the man to disappear for a time, but this had been the longest after Riggeth had left. He was hoping he'd get a message in that he was needed, but the only thing he got was another note from Orarsa.

He didn't really have time to explain his actions to her before she went on a death crusade after him. He wasn't really afraid of much, not even death, but Orarsa was pretty scary when she was mad. Scary enough to try to avoid her every chance he got. But, despite the threats, and that he could change his comlink at any time, he decided to keep it, because even her words of malice were enough to keep him sane while he was out alone.

His ear twitched when the line caught some interference, and then a spark of a deep voice starting to answer back.

"I'm submitting coordinates to an old base of operations. We'll meet you halfway. May the force be with you."

That was Kanan's voice. Kallus hummed in relief. Out of all the Ghost crew, Kanan had been, by far, the most accepting...aside from Chopper. Garazeb was complicated. There was still ground for each of them to cover, but he felt like they were on pretty good terms for now. Kanan's voice resounded in his head a few times. The attraction he saw between the man and Hera, the pilot, was not lost on him. The fact she was now in the hands of the Empire, was probably the hardest for the Jedi to take, but he masked his distress well.

In fact, he had always been pretty good to making a stressful situation into not the worst possible situation they could be in. Kallus assumed this was one of the reasons that the rebels were able to throw themselves headfirst into a mission. It annoyed him, yes, but damn if it didn't work out in the end. It always worked out in the end. He hoped this time was no exception.

"Let's beat it." Riggeth said, pushing Kallus out of his chair, and planting a small gadget on top of the control panel. Within seconds, the unit short circuited and fried, totally useless to the imperials now.

Riggeth, once again, lead the way as they escaped the outpost undetected, though Kallus supposed they wouldn't be for long. Someone was going to have to check in with security, and when nobody did so, they would be caught. Though, with the pace they were going at, they'd be long gone by then.

Kallus thought it wise not to slow down until Riggeth did, even when the lights of the Outpost began to fade. It wasn't long before the faint sound of a siren went off, which gave a surge of energy into both men as they kept running out of sight. Kallus looked back, which he shouldn't have done, as he began to see police gunships start to take off in different directions, one heading unnerving close to them. It would catch up soon, no doubt.

"A gunship is heading our way! We won't make it to the base, we need to hide!" Kallus shouted to Riggeth, but noticed the only cover they'd have is behind the sloping rocks, which there wasn't much around. Riggeth didn't look as skittish, as he began looking around himself. Their hearts stilled as a light began to show up from the corner of their eyes. A bright one.

Kallus watched in dismay as a stormtrooper on a speeder bike began to close in on the both of them. They targeted Riggeth with no intention of slowing down. Kallus pulled out his weapon, but forgot that he still had the puny stunner from before, but tried his best to get a good shot in before the stormtrooper hit them. He missed every shot, but luckily, so did the stormtrooper, as Riggeth dodged the front of his speeder, and tackled the stormtrooper off it.

They both went flying, and the speeder, without its owner, began to disappear into the shadows.

"Go get our ride!" Riggeth shouted at Kallus as he strangled the trooper. Kallus nodded, and chased after the speeder bike. As he ran towards it, he couldn't ignore the loud and incoming whirring of a gunnership coming closer and closer. This time, he didn't look back.

He saw the bike began to slow down, and had luckily not driven itself into a rockface. He started to pant as he reached the bike and cautiously swung his lead over the seat, and stepped on the pedals. As he turned the boke around to pick up Riggeth, he began to think about the kind of endurance he had back when he was an imperial. Sure, age was a part of it, but no doubt he had less ground missions when he became part of the rebellion. He probably could have spent a little more time exercising in his free time.

Riggeth avoided the spotlight of the gunner ship, having already taken care of the stormtrooper, and made a show out of jumping on the back of the speeder as Kallus maneuvered his way towards him. He swerved the bike back around, just before the gunship could catch them. What it did catch, however, was the lone body of the stormtrooper Riggeth took care of it. It was a small distraction that help aid them in their escape, enough to stay off their trail.

Once again, they managed to get off the Empire's radar, for now, as Kallus rode them out to the old rebel base. Time was of the essence, but he also didn't want to risk catching anymore attention, so he lead an imaginary goose chase to any imperial stragglers that would attempt to catch them, before making a shortcut to the base. He had expected Riggeth to oppose, but the lasat stayed silent. He probably had the same idea.

While that was true, Riggeth enjoyed speeder bike rides, so the longer he got to stay on one, the better.

It was deadly quiet when they reached the old rebel base. It looked like there had been an attack there, and heavily searched. There were scorched tarps, metal scraps, bent metal carriers, and blaster marks covering just about every inch of it. Kallus tried not to think of the casualties that took place there, but Riggeth could smell them.

Kallus switched off the ignition, then stepped off the bike, followed by Riggeth. They would have to lay low for a while, and weight for the rebels to find them. Kallus hid the bike as Riggeth got himself comfortable on top one of the steel boxes turned over, likely used for cover during an attack. Kallus noticed him pull out a lighter and light something in his hand. His paranoia made him stiffen at even the glimmer of something that could catch any unwanted attention, while Riggeth seemed unconcerned over the fact they had just managed to escape another attack.

Kallus walked over, and saw the oddly colored smoke waft into the air. It looked more like colored dust than smoke. Riggeth caught his curious look, and tipped the cigar towards him. Kallus declined, but asked, "That's not a death stick is it?"

Riggeth chuckled, amused at the imperial's total incompetence of a popular drug, and the fact you DON'T smoke a death stick.

"It's a Sivican cigar, nothing special, but it calms my nerves. Could do you some good." He smiled, sucking in another breath. Kallus would bet that there was more to the cigar than just "calming nerves", but he wasn't going to press him about it. He turned away, thinking that they would soon be picked up by the rebels, and he wouldn't have to worry about putting his life in the hands of someone who may or may not be getting high right now.

"Before...you asked why I thought Zeb wouldn't like me…" Riggeth started in rough voice.

Kallus stopped in his tracks. He hadn't expected him to bring up that conversation, considering he had been keen on ignoring it before their trip to the outpost. So far, it had become a pattern for Riggeth to turn over every perceived notion of the Lasat since they got paired up.

Kallus turned to look at him. Riggeth didn't seem to be _there_. His eyes had that far-away look to them, his only movement to tap the ashes from his cigar.

"We could have met...maybe once...Zeb and I. The warrior culture was all fine and good on Lasan, but we weren't free of corruption, the thing that poisons every inch of this Galaxy."

He took a deep breath as Kallus took in every word.

"Wish I could say I was good before the war, like Zeb, but truth is, I was rotten. You're ex-imperial, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

"Yes…" Kallus whispered in agreement.

"Anyway, I was hired to...uh, take care of someone in relation to some very popular Lasat."

"You were an assassin." Kallus remarked. This was much different than just the petty criminal Riggeth had lead on that he was.

"There's no point sugar-coating it I guess." Riggeth sighed, breathing in from his cigar.

"Did you succeed?" Kallus asked, almost feeling silly for asking.

"Yes...but I had to run. I got my money's worth, but there was no point spending it. Once I got to the outer regions, the money was useless." He looked irritated, like he was relving what it felt like from before. The way he talked, it sounded like he regretted it. The mission, more than the profession.

Okay, this would be a pretty good reason to believe that Garazeb, considering his line of work, would dislike Riggeth. However, it was easy information to cover up.

"So, you think Garazeb may have tried pursuing you?"

"Oh, you mean the Captain of the kriffing Honor Guard? The protector of the Royal Family? Yeah, I do." Riggeth sneered, but it looked like a sour smile.

 _There it was. More of the truth that the Lasat had attempted to hide. He knew of Garazeb, knew he was a Captain of the Honor Guard._ Kallus couldn't gouge why Riggeth had gone through the trouble of letting him believe that he hadn't. At least he was being a little honest about it now. It was something that he thought about doing himself, but he didn't know if that would be a wise decision on his part.

Kallus and Zeb had not met during the war. They were likely stationed miles away from each other. There were many lives involved, easy to get caught up in the fray. Even now, he could barely remember all their faces. Zeb probably would have had nothing to do with him if it wasn't for his bo-rifle, the precious weapon he no longer had. His shoulders slumped at the thought of losing it on Thrawn's ship. There was no way he could have saved it, but it was the one thing that brought an understanding between the two foes.

"I...did some pretty awful things too. Things that were personal to him. I think...you'd be surprised with Garazeb." Kallus said, attempting the same kind of understanding with Riggeth. If Zeb could set things aside and leave room for change, he could do the same.

Riggeth glanced at him, then smirked thoughtfully. "You sure do talk about him fondly. Hell…" He tapped his cigar and puffed another stream of smoke from his lips. "I'll take your word for it Captain."

Kallus was satisfied with that, and pointed his nose towards the stars. Outside the city, it was a lot clearer to see the stars. He remembered back when he was stationed on Lothal, all those pretty blue night skies outside his office window. Considering the heavy smoke near the towns, there was likely less of those around.

He noticed Riggeth was also stargazing with him. At least they both could appreciate a lovely night sky, even when the tensions were high.

Riggeth suddenly snapped his head around at a noise that didn't reach Kallus' ears until he actually saw where it was coming from. The fur on the back of Riggeth's hackles raised high as he took cautionary steps back. Despite not knowing what had him spooked, Kallus crept beside him, looking where Riggeth was looking. He wasn't about to act brave with his meager stunning weapon, and anything that had the relaxed Lasat jumping to his feet was worth worrying about.

Then he heard it. Heavy footsteps. It didn't belong to anything human. It was getting closer. He could hear a low rumbling sound that shook his bones. It crawled up his spine, and he felt the ground began to thump like the beating of a drum. Suddenly, he saw it, the route of Riggeth's worry…

A giant wolf.


End file.
